Department for Work and Pensions

Local Housing Allowance: Uprating

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion and number of universal credit claimants will be subject to the benefit capfollowing April's benefit uprating and increase in the local housing allowance; and what proportion and number will receive less than the full uprating and increase in Local Housing Allowance because of the cap.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: No estimate has been made. The latest figures show that 77,000 households were capped at November 2023. Benefit cap statistics released in September 2024 will show the number of households capped at May 2024. There are various factors that determine whether a household is exempt or brought into scope of the benefit cap.

Social Security Benefits: Ludlow

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claimants with an address in Ludlow visited the Jobcentre in Leominster and were refused travel costs in 2024.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claimants with an address in Ludlow have been sanctioned for failing to keep appointments at the Jobcentre in Leominster in 2024.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Monthly Universal Credit sanction statistics showing the number of adverse sanction decisions made are published every three months on Stat-Xplore, and are available by Jobcentre Plus office and referral reason, and are currently available to October 2023. Statistics to January 2024 are scheduled to be published on 14 May 2024. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

Department of Health and Social Care

Breast Cancer: Alcoholic Drinks

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between women’s increasing consumption of alcohol and incidences of breast cancer.

Lord Markham: Public Health England’s evidence review, ‘The Public Health Burden of Alcohol and the Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Alcohol Control Policies’, which was published in 2016 and updated in 2018, found there is strong evidence for an association between alcohol consumption and female breast cancer, and that for breast cancer, any level of drinking increases your risk so there is no ‘safe’ level of drinking. A copy of the review is attached.The Government believes in informing and empowering citizens and has a responsibility to provide the most up to date, clear information to enable people to make informed choices about their drinking. The 2016 United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines provide the public with the most up to date scientific information and highlight the risk of a range of health problems, including breast cancer, from alcohol consumption.alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review (pdf, 2735.0KB)

Breastfeeding

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to put in place policies that encourage breastfeeding, including supportive work environments where women are able to breastfeed or express milk.

Lord Markham: The Government’s vision, set out in the policy paper, The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days, is that every parent and carer has access to high quality infant feeding services in their local area. A copy of the paper is attached.Through the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme, we are investing £50 million in infant feeding services, enabling participating local authorities to design and deliver a blended offer of advice and support in line with local needs. The investment is being used to increase the range of advice and specialist support available, helping to ensure all mothers and families can meet their breastfeeding goals. We are also using programme investment to increase the capacity of the National Breastfeeding Helpline so that a greater number of families are able to access this support. In March 2024, we launched a trial of extended helpline opening hours so that support and advice will be available at any time of the day or night, every day of the year.Regulations are in place that require employers to provide a suitable area for breastfeeding mothers. This must be hygienic and private so they can express milk if they choose to and include somewhere to store their milk.The_best_start_for_life_a_vision (pdf, 11030.4KB)

School Milk

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for administering the Nursery Milk Scheme to children only until their fifth birthday rather than until the end of the academic year in which that birthday falls.

Lord Markham: The Nursery Milk Scheme allows early years childcare settings such as childminders and nurseries to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk to children under five years old who attend their childcare setting for at least two hours per day. Schools are also allowed to claim under this scheme in respect of pupils under the age of five years old. There are no current plans to extend the Nursery Milk Scheme to cover other school pupils.The School Food Standards require lower-fat or lactose free milk to be available in all schools. From the age of five years old onwards, pupils eligible for benefits-based free school meals are eligible for free school milk. In addition, the school milk subsidy scheme subsidises the cost of milk and certain milk products for children in primary and secondary schools including over fives. This means that participating schools can sell the products in schools at a lower price. More information on this scheme is available on GOV.UK in an online-only format.

Disadvantaged: Coastal Areas and North of England

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, followingresearch by the University of Manchester showing that local authorities with higher unemployment rates have more deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide, how they intend to tackle the socioeconomic factors that underpin deaths of despair, particularly in northern and coastal regions of England.

Lord Markham: Good physical and mental health are underpinned by many socioeconomic factors beyond the health service. That is why we are working across the Government to improve air quality, ensure decent homes, and support disabled people and those with health conditions to work. The Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper sets out the Government’s ambition to improve living standards and wellbeing across the United Kingdom, invest in communities, and improve public services. It sets mutually reinforcing levelling up missions to focus the Government’s action, including a health mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030, and increase Healthy Life Expectancy by five years by 2035. The Government also provides a range of support, specifically to benefit claimants with a drug or alcohol dependency, to overcome their addiction and move into work.

Sexual Dysfunction: Prescription Drugs

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many prescriptions for amitriptyline,imipramine and atomoxetine were issued in each year since 2014; how many Yellow Card reports of sexual dysfunction and persistent sexual dysfunction the MHRA has received for each of these drugs in each year since 2014; and whether theywill ensure that persistent sexual dysfunction is listed as a side effect in the patient information leaflets for each these drugs.

Lord Markham: Over the next year, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) plans to review the risk of sexual dysfunction and whether these side effects persist for all antidepressants marketed in the United Kingdom. As a result of the review product information will be updated, as necessary, and consideration will be given to whether additional risk minimisation measures are needed.The following table shows the total number of items in each calendar year between 2014 and 2023, as well as January 2024:Calendar YearAmitriptyline HydrochlorideAtomoxetine HydrochlorideImipramine Hydrochloride201411,851,704118,843174,731201512,404,537125,680167,072201612,943,138130,731164,645201713,256,893134,785156,555201813,532,567138,160150,526201913,975,389141,907151,889202014,468,134146,346137,284202114,930,177158,339123,450202215,226,816174,894115,360202315,662,619178,150108,197January 20241,370,67015,3349,072Data Source: NHS Business Services Authority Open Data Portal, PCA dataThe MHRA has received a total of 38 Yellow Card reports of sexual dysfunction related reactions suspected to be associated with amitriptyline, atomoxetine, and imipramine. Of these, 8 were for amitriptyline, 21 for atomoxetine, and 2 for imipramine.‘Persistent sexual dysfunction’ does not represent a specific medical condition.The following table shows a summary of these side effects listed in the product information: Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)amitriptylineerectile dysfunction, libido decreased  imipraminedisturbances of libido, impotency or abnormal ejaculation  atomoxetinelibido decreased, ejaculation disorder, erectile dysfunction, male genital painEjaculation failurePriapism

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Leasehold: Reform

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government how many high streets in local authority ownership will be affected by an increase in the non-residential limit for collective enfranchisement under proposed leasehold reforms.

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which overseas investors will benefit from an increase in the non-residential limit for collective enfranchisement under proposed leasehold reforms.

Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of an increase in the non-residential limit for collective enfranchisement on the composition of retail streets in London’s Central Activity Zone.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: An Impact Assessment for the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill was published on 11 December 2023 and is available on the Parliament website at: Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament. The Impact Assessment considers the non-monetised impact of increasing the non-residential for collective enfranchisement claims including the potential impact on freeholders, high streets, and businesses.Leasehold and Freehold Reform Bill  (pdf, 99.8KB)

Buildings: Co-ownership

The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government what was their rationale for the short duration of the call for evidence in relation to jointly owned leasehold properties, from Thursday 21 March to Friday 5 April.

Baroness Swinburne: The Government has discretion about the length of calls for evidence.In this instance, the call ran from Thursday 21 March to Friday 5 April 2024 and as a result this was a short duration.

Planning Permission: Cultural Heritage

Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will introduce secondary legislation to bring section 102 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 into force.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Section 102 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 will expand the special regard duties on decision makers for designated heritage assets. We intend to commence this section at the same time as the new decision-making test under section 93 which involves the introduction of National Development Management Policies. We will consult on draft National Development Management Policies in due course.

Grenfell Tower

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any evidence of voltage surges causing damage to domestic appliances in Grenfell Tower in the days prior to the fire on 14 June 2017.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The issue of electrical surges was considered in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 report, which focused on the causes of the fire. There were longstanding concerns raised by residents about electrical “surges” affecting appliances within the Tower. As stated in the report, RINA Consulting (RINA) were retained by the Metropolitan Police to assess the electrical supply and distribution infrastructure. RINA found no damage or significant degradation (other than that caused by the fire) nor any major defects in the electrical supply system. RINA found no evidence to suggest that the electrical infrastructure of the Tower was in any way responsible for the fire.

Community Assets: Registration

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a national register of community assets as a measure to safeguard against the inappropriate sale or disposal of such assets by local councils.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that some English councils will sell assets to fund services, what specific safeguards or criteria they plan toput in place to ensure thatsuch sales do not compromise the protection of community cultural assets.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria and safeguards are in place to ensure that assets deemed essential to the well-being and cohesion of communities are adequately protected, while providing local councils with the necessary flexibility to manage their finances responsibly.

Lord Freyberg: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to monitor the impact of asset sales by local councils on communities, and ensure that adequate protections are in place to safeguard valuable community cultural assets in the long term.

Baroness Swinburne: The department already has mechanisms in place to help with the safeguarding of local assets. A public or privately owned asset can be nominated as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) if its principal use furthers the community’s social well-being. When a listed asset comes to be sold, a moratorium on the sale (of up to six months) may be invoked, providing local community groups with a better chance to raise finance, develop a business and bid to buy the asset on the open market.The decision of whether an ACV nomination meets the statutory test set out in the Localism Act 2011 is a decision for the local authority and they must publish a list of their decisions. The Government does not hold a central list of this information or become involved in local decisions, as it is appropriate these issues are dealt with at a local level and local authorities are accountable to local people for the decisions they take.Local groups can also apply to the £150 million Community Ownership Fund to protect treasured local assets which make the biggest difference to their community. We have already invested £103.2 million to support 333 projects across the UK.

Housing Infrastructure Fund

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Swinburne on 3 April (HL3354),what infrastructure categories apply to Housing Infrastructure Fund allocations.

Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government what criteria are applied when deciding on Housing Infrastructure Fundallocations.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) programme has not adopted a prescriptive definition of physical infrastructure. HIF projects cover a range of infrastructure such as transport and travel, utilities, schools, community and healthcare facilities, land assembly and site remediation, heritage infrastructure, digital communications, green infrastructure (such as parks) and blue infrastructure (such as flood defences and sustainable drainage systems). HIF is a closed programme. Bids were assessed against criteria that can be found in the HIF prospectus.Introduction to Housing Infrastructure (publishing.service.gov.uk) Introduction to Housing Infrastructure Fund (pdf, 6662.2KB)

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the numbers of (1) private, and (2) social housing buildings above 11 metres which are fitted with equipment to prevent voltage surges.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the Noble Member to the response provided to UIN HL8412 on 26 June 2023.HL8412 (pdf, 60.8KB)

Department for Business and Trade

Horizon IT System: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the extension of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government have decided to extend the territorial extent of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill to Northern Ireland. This is the right choice as the Northern Ireland Assembly faces significant and unique challenges to delivering the necessary legislation at an expedited pace following its recent restoration and its public consultation requirements. These challenges posed the risk of a significant delay to justice for postmasters in Northern Ireland. My hon. friend, the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business recently met the First Minister, Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss these matters.

Home Office

Journalism: Iran

Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the risk to British–Iranian journalists in the United Kingdom after threats from thegovernment of Iran, andthe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in particular.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Whilst we do not routinely comment on operational matters or specific threats, Iran has been clear in its intentions, publicly calling for the capture or killing of those holding it to account, either in the UK or abroad. Since the start of 2022, Iran has attempted to carry out these threats on numerous occasions, with over 15 credible threats to kill or kidnap British or UK-based individuals.The UK Government is committed to the promotion of media freedom and takes protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety very seriously. It is paramount that all media professionals are free to work without fear and journalists must be able to investigate and report independently.We continually assess potential threats to individuals and take a proactive approach to identifying and investigating them. Wherever a threat is identified, we use all measures, including through the Police and security and intelligence services, to mitigate risk to individuals.

Mortgages: Fees and Charges

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent increase in cases of advance fee mortgage scams, what steps they are taking to prevent such scams.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As part of our Fraud Strategy, we have worked closely with the financial services industry to protect customers against a variety of fraud types, including advance fee scams. This includes the Retail Banking Fraud Sector Charter which has delivered ambitious and innovative actions to prevent authorised fraud and protect customers. We have also agreed similar charters with the telecommunications, accountancy and online sectors.According to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, ‘Advance fee fraud’ has decreased by 33% in the year ending September 2023 from 546,000 to 367,000 offences.

Overseas Students: Postgraduate Education

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of international students on student visas are undertaking postgraduate taught courses that can be completed in less than 12 months, and whether that proportion has increased following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government how many international students on student visas who complete postgraduate taught courses and leave the UK within 12 months do not subsequently return to the UK on that visa.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not publish data on the proportion of student visas for postgraduate taught courses or how long people were resident in the UK on student visas.The Home Office publishes data on sponsored study visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the outcomes of student visas are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the detailed entry clearance visas dataset. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of December 2023.The Home Office also publishes data on how people move through the immigration system in the Migrant Journey report. The report contains information on the number of people starting a journey each year broken down by immigration route (e.g. study) and for how long they continue to hold leave. It does not contain information on how long people were resident in the UK or the level of qualification for which they were studying. The latest report covers up to the end of 2022.

Overseas Students: Postgraduate Education

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government why all international students on postgraduate taught courses are counted as migrants, even though a proportion of those students leave the UK after less than a year.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Long-term international migration estimates are produced by the independent Office for National Statistics (ONS). Any decision around the methodology used to estimate net migration would be for the ONS. They use the “UN-recommended definition of a long-term international migrant”, a person who moves to another country other than their own for at least a year (12 months). Students who leave the UK within one year of their arrival are not considered to be long-term migrants. In their ‘Reason for international migration, international students update’ they said:“An international student is currently defined as someone who arrives in the UK to study and remains for a period of 12 months or more. In line with the current United Nations (UN) definition of a long-term migrant, international students are included in our estimates of long-term immigration.”

Refugees: Afghanistan

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government when the family reunification route for Afghans in the UK, under Pathway 1 of the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme,will open; and what assessment they have made of the level of danger faced by the spouses and children who remain in Afghanistan of those who have resettled in the UKwith indefinite leave to remain.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan. The situation continues to be complex and presents significant challenges, including how those who are eligible for resettlement in the UK can leave the country.For those evacuated from Afghanistan under Pathway 1 of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) without their immediate family members, the Home Secretary has committed to establishing a route for separated families to be reunited in the first half of this year. Further details will be provided in due course.

Car Washes: Forced Labour

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report Car Wash Code of Practice Project Report: Home Office Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, published by Nottingham Trent University and submitted to the Home Office in October 2022.

The Lord Bishop of Bristol: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will respond to the report Car Wash Code of Practice Project Report: Home Office Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, published by Nottingham Trent University and submitted to the Home Office in October 2022.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office funded the evaluation report conducted by the Responsible Car Wash Scheme and Nottingham Trent University, as part of its grant funding under the Modern Slavery Prevention Fund, a one-off pot of funding to build the evidence base on what interventions work to prevent modern slavery.The Home Office has shared the evaluation of this project with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority so the lessons from this project can be incorporated into operational activity to improve standards within the hand car wash sector. The Government has no plans to respond directly to the report.In addition, the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) sets out the scale and nature of labour exploitation in their annual strategy to ensure the three labour market enforcement bodies are targeting the highest-risk industries. The most recent 23-24 DLME strategy highlights hand car washes as a sector at risk of labour exploitation.

Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 27 February (HL2409), when the Government-funded feasibility study on estimating the prevalence of female genital mutilation and forced marriage in England and Wales will be published.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As part of our commitment in the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy 2021, the Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in April 2023 to conduct a feasibility study to examine whether it is possible to develop prevalence estimates for both Female Genital Mutilation and Forced Marriage.Given the hidden nature of these crimes and lack of robust estimates, knowing more about the individuals that experience it disproportionately will allow us to make more effective, evidence-based interventions.We have now received the final report and are reviewing the findings to determine next steps.

Edward Heath

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 11 April (HL3683), whether they intend to set a deadline for the completion of work by Home Office officials regarding a potential review by an independent lawyer of seven allegations against Sir Edward Heath left unresolved by Operation Conifer; and if not, why.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As Lord Lexden will appreciate, and as per my previous responses, my focus is on ensuring thorough consideration of the issues raised, which will be completed in due course.

Criminal Investigation

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government how many major police operations have included in their reports a statement that a deceased person would have been interviewed under caution had they been alive.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not hold the data requested.However, in the Home Office crime outcome statistics, outcome 12 is used to record investigations closed where a named suspect has been identified but is either too ill (physically or mentally) to prosecute, or is confirmed to have died either before the crime was reported to police or before enough evidence to charge could be obtained. In the 12 months to March 2023, the number of police investigations closed under outcome 12 in England and Wales was 18,335.The crime outcome statistics cover all notifiable offences and do not distinguish between major and minor investigations. The statistics can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-statistics.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Ghana: Homosexuality

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they have made to the government of Ghana concerning its Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which criminalises homosexuality; and what assessment they have made of Ghana's continued membership of the Commonwealth in the light of that Bill.

Lord Benyon: The UK is deeply concerned that Ghana's Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. The UK routinely encourages Ghana to confirm its opposition to all forms of discrimination and uphold the human rights provisions enshrined in Ghana's Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter and the values and principles of the Commonwealth. The Foreign Secretary, Ministers and senior officials have expressed these concerns, including during Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell's visit to Ghana in February 2024 and his meeting with the Ghanaian High Commissioner to the UK in March. We are working through our options for responding should the Bill become law. Issues around membership and the Commonwealth Charter are addressed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). The UK is not currently a member of CMAG.

Deep Sea Mining

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take as a member of the International Seabed Authority to work with other countries to achieve a global moratorium on deep seabed mining.

Lord Benyon: On 30 October 2023, the UK Government announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK set out this position to international partners at the 28th Session of the ISA Council meeting in November 2023. Whether to support a moratorium on deep seabed mining is a matter for each ISA Member State to consider. The UK continues to engage proactively with other member States of the ISA and will attend the ISA Council and Assembly meetings in July this year.

Deep Sea Mining

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with governments of (1) countries in the European Union, (2) the United States of America, and (3) Middle East countries, regarding deep seabed mining.

Lord Benyon: On 30 October 2023, the UK Government announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK set out this position to international partners at the 28th Session of the ISA Council meeting in November 2023. The UK continues to engage proactively in the work of the ISA alongside other member States of the ISA (including from countries in the European Union) and with the USA who attend as an Observer State. The UK will attend ISA Council and Assembly meetings in July this year.

Deep Sea Mining

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of deep seabed mining.

Lord Benyon: On 30 October 2023, the UK Government announced its support for a moratorium on the granting of exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UK set out this position at the 28th Session of the Council at the International Seabed Authority in November 2023. The UK recognises the impacts of deep sea mining are not fully understood and our position is to support research proactively, using UK scientific expertise, to improve international understanding and develop strong and enforceable ISA environmental regulations, standards and guidelines on deep sea mining before any such projects commence.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Uganda concerning theAnti-Homosexuality Act 2023; and what steps they are taking to protect LGBT people living in Uganda.

Lord Benyon: Following the signing of the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law, the Minister of State (Development and Africa) released a statement setting out our strong opposition to the Act. Both the Foreign Secretary and the Minister of State (Development and Africa) reaffirmed this position on 3 April, following the Ugandan Constitutional Court's judgment to uphold all but four sections of the Act. The Minister of State (Development and Africa) met the Ugandan Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on 3 April, underlining the importance of ensuring that people are free from persecution, regardless of sexuality. We will continue our consistent support to the human rights of LGBT+ people, and all Ugandans.

Uganda: LGBT+ People

Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Uganda's compatibility with being a member of the Commonwealth in the light of that country's opposition to LGBT rights, including its Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government is appalled that the Government of Uganda signed the deeply discriminatory Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 into law. Issues around membership and the Commonwealth Charter are addressed by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). The UK is not currently a member of CMAG.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Annual Reports

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023, what was ProjectGRACE.

The Earl of Minto: Project GRACE relates to an infrastructure project in Northern Ireland which was cancelled owing to a change of requirements.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and vessels the Royal Navy currently has that are (1) operational,or (2) in reserve.

The Earl of Minto: Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships are adjusted to reflect operational requirements and to ensure outputs are optimised. Individual ships will be generated to different levels of readiness as required. The information requested is as follows and is accurate as of 19 April 2024. ‘Available’ is defined as ships not undergoing deep maintenance or preparing to undergo deep maintenance.  ClassNot AvailableAvailableTotalRFA Tide Class Tanker224RFA Wave Class Tanker202RFA Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)033RFA Primary Casualty Reception Facility011RFA Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment101RFA Offshore Support Vessel022 The normal operating cycle of every ship involves them entering different readiness levels depending on their programmes, periods of refit and Departmental Planning Requirements. To Maintain operational security, these figures cannot be broken down into any further level of detail, however, I can confirm that these figures do include the new RFA Offshore Support Vessel Class.

F-35 aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 3 April (HL3349),whetherthe numbers of maintenance and other personnel for each squadron will be based on the assumption that squadrons normally comprise 24 aircraft.

The Earl of Minto: As referenced during the Oral Question asked on the 11 March 2024 regarding 809 Squadron, The numbers of personnel assigned to each Squadron is based on being established for up to 12 aircraft.

Fleet Solid Support Ships

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of speeding up delivery times for the Fleet Solid Support ships.

The Earl of Minto: The approved In-Service Date for the first Fleet Solid Support ship is 2031. The Royal Navy expects to manage RFA Fort Victoria's operational status as necessary to maintain solid support ship availability during the capability transition period. Should opportunities arise that will expedite these timelines, then the Department will consider those in a value for money context.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary: Crew

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the manpower strength of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The Earl of Minto: The number of personnel within the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a constantly evolving figure, with sailors leaving the Service after years at sea, and future generations joining through direct entry or apprenticeship schemes. I can confirm however, that as of 1 October 2023, the overall personnel strength of the RFA was 1,675.

RFA Fort Victoria: Fleet Solid Support Ships

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 3 April (HL3550), whether RFA Fort Victoria is the UK’s sole solid support ship until 2031 when the first of the new Fleet Solid Support ships is accepted into service.

The Earl of Minto: The first Fleet Solid Support ship (FSS) is expected to enter service by 2031, after first of class trials and equipment fits. In order to preserve the Operational Security of the Fleet, individual out of service dates are no longer released but the Royal Navy expects to manage the operational status of RFA Fort Victoria as necessary to maintain solid support ship availability during the capability transition period.

RFA Fort Victoria

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government whether reports of RFA Fort Victoria being in "poor" condition in the Cammell Laird Shipyard mean that she is not immediately available to support an unplanned carrier group deployment assuming sufficient personnel can be found to man her.

The Earl of Minto: RFA FORT VICTORIA is in a scheduled refit package to prepare her for future service. Her upkeep will enable her to fulfil future operations. All Royal Navy (RN) ships rotate through planned operating cycles and this results in individual ships being at various levels of readiness at any one time in accordance with long-term operating schedules and operational needs; they remain in service during these periods but may not be deployable. It is our policy not to disclosure the fine details of forward availability forecasts of individual ships as this would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. The RN does publish annual figures for readiness days, the first of which was released in November 2023.

Veterans: Radiation Exposure

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 3 April (HL3500), whether they hold (1) paper, and (2) digitised, copies of the declassified documents concerning nuclear test veterans.

The Earl of Minto: The documents are held by the Atomic Weapons Establishment digitally and in hard copy. The Minister for Defence People and Families will update the House on plans for their release in due course.

Ministry of Defence: Annual Reports

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts 2022 to 2023, what was Project Bodywork.

The Earl of Minto: BODYWORK was a project to procure bespoke Explosive Ordnance and Disposal equipment. The BODYWORK contract was closed in June 2021 as a more suitable solution to Defence’s requirement was found.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government whether armed forces personnel engaged in ongoing counterterrorist operations in Northern Ireland are eligible to receive the new Wider Service Medal; and if not, why.

The Earl of Minto: The Wider Service Medal will be retrospective to 11 December 2018, and a small number of operations have already been considered and confirmed as eligible for the medal. Other operational activity that could be within scope for the medal will be considered over the coming months and this might include operational activity in Northern Ireland.

Veterans: LGBTQ+ People

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to theremarksby The Earl of Minto on 21 March (HL Deb col 314), whether consideration will be given to making emergency financial redress payments to LGBT veterans who (1)have terminal illnesses, and(2) are over 65 and in serious and immediate financial hardship.

The Earl of Minto: Given the complexities of creating the scheme, the Government cannot yet confirm the details, the expected number of claimants, nor the likely size of awards. Defence is considering the needs of the cohort throughout its development and is looking to include escalation routes for certain situations, including those who have terminal illnesses. The Government will continue to engage with LGBT veterans as plans for the financial award progress and is committed to providing information and updates as soon as possible.

France and Germany: Tanks

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byThe Earl of Minto on 9 April (HL3588), whether they will now answer the question put, namely whether they were invited to participate in theMain Ground Combat System programme.

The Earl of Minto: Interest in the Observer Status request was recognised by both nations. The next step will involve France and Germany convening a conference for prospective 'observers' to discuss administrative procedures before any formal invitation is made to adopt this status. No decision has yet been made regarding full participation in the Main Ground Combat System programme.

Department for Education

Students: Loans

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of interest rate charges on Government student loan financing, following research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which showed that higher interest rates will add more than £10 billion per year to the cost of England’s student loan system.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of changes to the student loan repayment system, introduced in August 2023, on female students.

Baroness Barran: Student loans are valued in the department’s annual accounts in line with the International Financial Reporting Standard 9 and set out in The Government Financial Reporting Manual which is attached.Under which where future cash flows are discounted to measure the fair value of a financial asset, this should be done using the higher of the rate intrinsic to the financial instrument or the HMT discount rate. HMT set the discount rate annually based on a 10 year rolling average of gilt yields. For student loans the intrinsic rate would be the discount rate that gave a Resource Accounting Budget (RAB) or stock charge of 0%, so the HMT discount rate is used provided the RAB charge is greater than 0%. Should the HMT discount rate result in a RAB charge calculation giving a negative value then the intrinsic rate is used instead, meaning that that RAB charge will take a value of 0%.The most recent forecasts for the student finance system can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/student-loan-forecasts-for-england/2022-23.The net present value of future repayments was calculated by discounting all future repayments at a rate of RPI -1.3% per year until the end of financial year 2029/30, and -0.2% per year from financial year 2030/31, to the same point in time as the loan outlay or loan balance. This is the discount rate for financial instruments set by HMT in 2022 and is intended to reflect of the cost of government borrowing. The most recent student loan forecasts using the 2023 discount rate set by HMT will be published at the end of June 2024.The department has carefully assessed the impact of changes and published a full and comprehensive analysis in the Higher Education Reform and Consultation Document Equality Impact Assessment, which is attached.The student loan repayment system under Plan 5 is progressive, with repayments being positively correlated with lifetime earnings. The highest earners make the largest individual contributions to the system overall, and the lowest earners are required to contribute the least.Lower earners, whether male or female, are protected. If a borrower’s income is below the repayment threshold, they will not be required to make any repayments at all. At the end of the loan term, any outstanding loan debt, including interest accrued, will be written off at no detriment to the borrower. No commercial loans offer this level of protection.The department will continue to keep the student finance system, including repayment terms, under review to ensure that it remains sustainable and delivers value for money for students and the taxpayer.The Government Financial Reporting Manual  (pdf, 1408.4KB)Higher Education Reform and Consultation Document  (pdf, 943.1KB)

Students: Equality

Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green: To ask His Majesty's Government why the Department for Education maintains named individuals' religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability information from Higher Education equality monitoring data, rather than retaining the information as anonymised statistics.

Baroness Barran: The department does not directly collect information from higher education institutions concerning the religious affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability of students. However, the department does receive these variables from Jisc (and previously the Higher Education Statistics Authority) as part of the student records that they share with the department. The information is held at a named level to enable this data to effectively function as a longitudinal research source, which can be used to compare educational pathways with other (non-educational) outcomes later in life. This will provide an evidence base against which society can evaluate and monitor the impact of education and training on outcomes and support government decision-making to improve services and ensure equality of opportunity for all irrespective of background or circumstances. While individual identifiers are retained by the department for matching purposes, at all times the department will minimise the processing of, and access to, instant or meaningful identifiers. Access to named data within the department is restricted to a small number of data professionals with responsibility for matching this data with other sources and creating pseudonymised, or aggregated, versions of the data which are subsequently used for research and statistics.

Department for Education: Finance

Lord Blunkett: To ask His Majesty's Government which organisations (1) receiving funding through the Department for Education, or (2) holding contracts related to the work of the Department, between 1 January and 22 April have been notified of either (a) a reduction in, or (b) the cancellation of, their funding, broken down by category; which of those organisations will have funding withdrawn (i) in the current financial year, or (ii) over the next two financial years; and what is the total amount that will be withdrawn for such organisations over those periods.

Baroness Barran: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Students: Fees and Charges

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion ofcurrent students at English universities pay international tuition fees; how this compares with the same figure from 2010; and what steps they are taking to ensure that English universities have a long-term, stable and sustainable funding model.

Baroness Barran: The total number of non-EU students at higher education (HE) providers in England in academic years 2021/22 and 2010/11 is published and can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis. Please note, the data for these years is not comparable as home fee status for EU domiciled students has changed over this period. In 2010/11, all EU students had ‘home status’ meaning they paid the same tuition fees as UK domiciled students. In 2021/22, only existing EU domiciled students had home fee status while those starting their course in 2021/22 did not; they were charged international tuition fees as other non-EU students. In 2021/22, there were 24,365 new EU first year enrolments at HE providers in England. As autonomous organisations, HE providers have a high degree of financial independence and it is for them to make appropriate and necessary decisions around income, funding, spending and borrowing which ensure their continued financial viability and sustainability.

Overseas Students

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the estimated 33 per cent fall in overseas students on the financial viability of UK universities.

Baroness Barran: The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of its education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030. The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top ten, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running. However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. Our universities are autonomous institutions responsible for managing their own budgets. The department works closely with the Office for Students, the independent regulator of the HE sector in England, to understand the evolving landscape including on risks relating to international students. It also continues to work closely with the Home Office, the Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers.

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the apprenticeship levy and to grant firms more flexibility to use funds from the levy to skill up their workforce.

Baroness Barran: The apprenticeship levy supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training, both for career starters as well as those looking to upskill or retrain. The success of the levy is enabling the department to invest £2.7 billion in apprenticeships in England in the 2024/25 financial year, and means that 98% of the English apprenticeships budget was spent over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years. It is important that this funding remains protected to support apprenticeships. The government has no current plans to allow employers to spend the funds available to them on non-apprenticeships training. Allowing employers to use 50% of funds for non-apprenticeship training could create an additional cost of up to £1.5 billion a year. Without additional investment this could reduce apprenticeship starts to 140,000 a year, which would represent an almost 60% decrease on the 2022/23 academic year. This month the department increased the proportion of the funds that levy-paying employers can transfer from 25% to 50%. This gives levy-paying employers even greater flexibility in how they use the funds available to them while also supporting more apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities. Employers can choose from almost 700 high-quality apprenticeships and have the option of using flexible training models, such as flexi-job apprenticeships and accelerated apprenticeships. Employers can also access other government-funded skills programmes, including T Levels and Skills Bootcamps.

Higher Education: Students

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase investment in skills training to meet the needs of more 150,000 additional students seeking higher education by 2030 in England.

Baroness Barran: It is important that the department has a sustainable higher education (HE) funding system that responds to the needs of the economy and that is fair to students and to taxpayers. The government keeps the HE funding system under continuous review to ensure that this remains the case, and to provide many different opportunities for learners to acquire vital skills. The government is committed to creating a world-leading skills system, backed with an additional investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen HE and further education (FE). This includes increasing opportunities for people to develop higher technical skills through T Levels, Apprenticeships, Skills Bootcamps, or Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). From 2025, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will transform access to FE and HE, offering all adults the equivalent of four years’ worth of student loans to use flexibly on quality education training over their lifetime. Through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG), the department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period to the 2024/25 financial year to support high-quality teaching and facilities, the majority of which goes to supporting the provision of courses in high-cost subjects including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade. The recurrent SPG budget is £1,456 million for the 2024/25 financial year. This includes an £18 million increase in support for strategically important high-cost subjects. The department is also providing £40 million over two years through the SPG to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and help more people access this provision. The department has seen year-on-year growth in degree level apprenticeships (Level 6 and 7) with almost 230,000 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. The government has increased investment in the apprenticeships system in England to over £2.7 billion this financial year, to support employers of all sizes access high-quality apprenticeships at all levels. The department’s Higher Technical Education reforms are growing skills at Level 4 and 5. The department has introduced new HTQs, which will increase the prestige and uptake of level 4 and 5 qualifications. To date, 172 qualifications have been approved as HTQs across seven occupational routes and are being taught at FE Colleges, Institutes of Technology, Universities, and Independent Training Providers. The department has provided up to £115 million in funding to providers to help grow provision across the country, on top of up to £300 million to create a network of 21 Institutes of Technology.

Sure Start Programme

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Institute for Fiscal Studies reportThe short- and medium-term impacts of Sure Start on educational outcomes, published on 9 April, which found that access to a Sure Start centre in early years increased the early identification of a special educational need or disability and reduced the need for an Education, Health and Care Plan in later years, what steps they are taking toincorporate lessons from the Sure Start programme in their (1) Family Hubs policy, and (2)Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan.

Baroness Barran: The department welcomes the latest research from the Institute of Fiscal Studies on the impact of Sure Start. The family hub model builds on what was learned from Sure Start as well as on wider external evidence of the long-term benefits of early intervention. The model includes at its core the Start for Life offer with a prominent focus on babies and young children, encouraging engagement with the very youngest and their parents and including targeted services for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It enables early identification of additional needs through integrated and connected service offers and provides funding for workforce training to better identify and respond to need in a co-ordinated way.Family hubs bring together services for children of all ages and so respond to the needs of the whole family. The government is investing approximately £300 million across 75 local authorities to embed the family hub approach and enhance Start for Life services across the country for families with children aged 0-19 years, and or up to 25 years for those with SEND. On 10 January 2024, the government announced that every one of the 75 local authorities in the family hubs and Start for Life programme have now opened family hubs, creating a welcoming place where families can be connected to a wide range of services.The department has developed guidance for participating local authorities. The Programme Guidance includes expectations on the support available to families who have children with SEND, in line with the recommendations in the SEND and alternative provision (AP) green paper. This includes staff in the family hub being knowledgeable about local SEND services and able to connect families to appropriate support – this could include for example SEND-appropriate parenting programmes, peer support for parents, short breaks, support for siblings or specialist health services. The Programme Guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-hubs-and-start-for-life-programme-local-authority-guide.Last year, the department also published its SEND and AP Improvement Plan to outline its plans to ensure children and young people across England get high-quality, early support wherever they live in the country. This includes new national SEND and AP standards which will help families understand what support every child or young person should be receiving from early years through to further education.The department is also funding training of up to 7,000 early years special educational needs co-ordinators who will learn how to identify and assess SEND and implement effective support so that children get the early support they deserve at the right time.

Students: Loans

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimateof (1) the Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge, and (2) the estimated cost to Government of their support for the student finance system, based on future loan write-offs and interest subsidies, (a) in net present-value terms, and (b) as a proportion of the initial loan outlay.

Baroness Barran: In the 2022/23 financial year, the Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge, which is the government subsidy on student loans, was £5.5 billion, or 27% of the £20.0 billion of loans issued that financial year.Of student loans issued in 2023/24, the government is expected to subsidise about £5.6 billion, or:28% of full-time Plan 2 loans,23% of part-time Plan 2 loans,48% of Plan 2 Advanced Learner Loans,27% of full-time Plan 5 loans,19% of part-time Plan 5 loans,37% of Plan 5 Advanced Learner Loans, and0% of Master’s loans These forecasts are subject to change. The next statistical publication on student finance forecasts, which will contain the final RAB figures for the 2023/24 financial year, will be available at the end of June 2024.

Schools: Sanitary Products

Baroness Verma: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential gaps in the provision of free period products in schools in England.

Baroness Barran: The Period Product Scheme is open to all state-funded primary schools, secondary schools and 16-19 organisations so that girls and women can have access to a wide range of period products in their place of study.Take up of the scheme is monitored and reviewed regularly. Since its launch in January 2020, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of 16-19 organisations have used the scheme. Management information is published annually and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/period-products-scheme-management-information. The national supplier, phs, makes contact with all eligible schools and colleges annually to advise them of the scheme and provide details on how to order.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Seeds

The Earl of Caithness: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toensure there are no delays by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in processing applications for new seed varieties; and when they will determine the causes of the current backlog of applications so that in future new varieties are made available to UK growers in a timely manner.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The backlog of applications for variety listing following EU exit has now largely been resolved. The Animal and Plant Health Agency and Defra are working closely with stakeholders to monitor the processes involved in variety listing and are currently instigating improvements and resilience in the system. The UK authorities are working together to develop the first UK Plant Variety and Seeds strategy. Following a Call for Ideas and further industry engagement, additional improvements in the plant variety listing process are anticipated.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish further information on thecombined Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship offer.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whenfarmers will be able to apply for the new combined Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship offer.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government when farmers in existing Higher Level Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements can transfer to the new offer.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government when guidance for theSustainable Farming Incentive online application portal will be set out.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whenthe new Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship actions can be added to areas already in the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement, particularly in upland areas where the HLS agreement has a linked Upland Entry Level Stewardship agreement.

Lord Douglas-Miller: We plan to roll out the new combined Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship offer during 2024, with applications opening from the summer. We will publish more information about this, and how farmers will be able to apply, ahead of applications opening. This will include setting out how farmers with existing Higher Level Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements will be able to access the new offer.

Import Controls: Fees and Charges

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of border control posts ahead of the introduction of the common user charge on 30 April; and what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the common user charge on the UK’s environmental horticulture industry.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra is confident that existing and new BCP infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed. Defra will continue to work with existing BCP operators to ensure they are prepared, and the Government has built new infrastructure at critical locations. Operators have not expressed concerns regarding under-capacity, we are therefore not anticipating queues but will continue working closely with operators to address any concerns they may have. The common user charge for BCP operating costs applies only to UK government-run BCPs. Commercial operators will independently set BCP charges for their own facilities. The impact of the Common User Charge (CUC) on businesses of all sizes will be kept under monthly and quarterly reviews, with rates reviewed and updated annually. Full details of the CUC can be found on GOV.UK.

Plants and Trees: Import Controls

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the place of destination (PoD) scheme to allow inspection of horticulture imports at a registered PoD until border control posts are fully functional for the purpose of plant and tree imports.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra is confident that existing and new Border Control Posts infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model, with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed. Looking ahead, we are piloting an ambitious programme of trusted trader assurance schemes for sanitary and phytosanitary goods. The pilots will explore how businesses can provide assurance through data, technology and trusted relationships and take increased responsibility for controls.

Windsor Framework

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact on trade to Northern Ireland from Great Britain of repealing regulation 13 of the Windsor Framework Retail Movement Scheme Regulations 2023 and the powers of the EU in Article 14(5) of the EU regulation 2023/1231.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government has now laid the Windsor Framework (Implementation) Regulations 2024 before Parliament. These regulations will provide powers for the Government to fulfil the commitments in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper on upholding Northern Ireland's place in the UK internal market.

Treasury

Premium Bonds

Lord Wills: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis their estimatefor each of the past three years of their returns fromretaining the proceedsof cashed-in Premium Bonds for up to six days before they are transferred to the holder’s bank account.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: NS&I raises cost effective finance for government from the retail savings market. It does this through offering savings products to consumers, including Premium Bonds. Funds raised by NS&I from these products, including Premium Bonds, flow to the National Loans Fund (NLF). The NLF is the government’s main borrowing and lending account, and to this end, it undertakes borrowing (primarily by issuing gilts via the Debt Management Office) and uses proceeds and other central government surplus balances, including funds from NS&I’s Premium Bonds, to manage its cash needs day-to-day. The Exchequer’s cash needs are managed on an aggregate basis, meaning funds raised from Premium Bonds are not held in a separate account and do not receive a separate rate of return (which in any case is determined by the market as the government is ultimately a price taker). Therefore, there is not a single rate of return on NS&I proceeds and it would not be possible to provide an estimate of returns from retaining the proceeds of Premium Bonds. When a customer divests their holdings of Premium Bonds, these repayments are also funded via the NLF’s activities and are typically processed within three working days. However, in exceptional circumstances, such as Bank Holidays, this may take longer. This process allows HM Treasury to manage Exchequer cashflows in a cost effective manner.

Fishing Vessels: Subsidies

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government what amount of fuel subsidy is received by the UK pelagic fishing fleet.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Qualifying fishing vessels are eligible for two fuel duty reliefs: entitlement to use red diesel, taxed at a reduced rate of 10.18p per litre, and marine voyages relief. The government does not consider either of these to be fossil fuel subsidies.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they havetointroducelegislation which would ban the practice of conversion therapy.

Baroness Barran: The Government is taking account of the recently published final report from the independent Cass Review. As the Cass Review has shown, challenges of legislating in this area are considerable, and there is significant risk of oversimplifying complex and nuanced issues. We cannot risk unintended consequences for parents, teachers, religious leaders or for clinicians providing crucial and legitimate support to young people experiencing gender distress.

Period Poverty Task Force

Baroness Verma: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stedman-Scott on 28 April 2022 (HL7975), what plans they have to resume the activities of the Period Poverty Taskforce.

Baroness Barran: This Government takes the issue of period poverty very seriously and we are taking steps to ensure that period products are available and affordable for those most in need through the organisations closest to them. Since January 2020, a Department for Education scheme provides free period products in schools and 16-19 education institutions in England. 97% of secondary schools, 92% of post 16 organisations and 68% primary schools have made at least one order since the scheme began in January 2020. In March 2019 NHS England announced that it would offer period products to every hospital patient who needs them (including long-term in-patients). As part of our wider strategy to make period products affordable and available for all women, we have also made it clear that a zero rate of VAT applies to period products now that the UK has left the EU. These products are essential so it is right that there is now no VAT charge.

Cabinet Office

Immigration: Overseas Students

Lord Johnson of Marylebone: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to review their statistical methods regarding the inclusion of international students on postgraduate taught courses in net migration figures.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Right Hon. the Lord Johnson of MaryleboneHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 19 April 2024Dear Lord Johnson, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what plans there are to review the statistical methods regarding the inclusion of international students on postgraduate taught courses in net migration figures (HL3762). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing long-term international migration statistics. The most recent edition is for year-ending (YE) June 2023[1]. Net international migration accounts for a significant part of population change. Therefore, it is important that long-term international migration estimates account for those joining or leaving the UK population for all reasons, including international students (on both undergraduate and postgraduate courses). This ensures that the size of the population can be measured and the impact of migration on the economy and service requirements can be understood. However, I recognise that there is also a user need for estimates of specific groups such as international students, as well as the need to understand the contribution of students to net international migration. Therefore, the latest long-term international migration estimates for YE June 2023 include breakdowns by reason for migration. Alongside the latest estimates, the ONS also published an article named Reason for international migration: international students update: November 2023[2]. This presents further analysis of net migration of non-EU international students up to the YE June 2023 along with cohort analysis that provides insight on the changing behaviours of international students. This includes how long they spend studying in the UK before emigrating or, for example, transitioning onto work visas. The ONS are continuing to develop their research in this area to provide more granular estimates, further insights on migration patterns of international students and identify priority areas for further research based on user priorities. Afurther update on this work will be published in May 2024, including estimates of international student migration for the YE December 2023. Yours sincerely, Professor Sir Ian Diamond [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2023[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/articles/reasonforinternationalmigrationinternationalstudentsupdate/november2023 UKSA Letter (pdf, 86.7KB)

Lord-Lieutenants: Middlesex

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 April (HL3471), whether they have received representations on the issue of the creation of a Deputy Lieutenancy for Middlesex, and what consideration they are giving to wider public engagement on the issue.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The creation of a Lieutenancy for Middlesex has been raised in previous PQs (HL9221, HL3471 and HL3783) and DLUHC has also received Ministerial Correspondence on the issue. No consideration is presently being given to wider public engagement on the issue.

Lord-Lieutenants: Middlesex

Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 April (HL3471), what consideration they are giving to the creation of a Deputy Lieutenancy to cover the administrative local government areas of Middlesex.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: No consideration is being given to the creation of a Lieutenancy for Middlesex. Middlesex is covered by the Lieutenancies of Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordshire.

Department for Transport

Railways: Standards

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government how the performance of open-access operators compares with the major operator of services on the routes which they share.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Office of Rail and Road collects and publishes data on cancellations, reliability and punctuality of all rail operators, including Open Access operators. This is set out in the attached table.Table of Performance of Open Access Operators (pdf, 264.9KB)

Railways

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they planto develop a recovery strategy for rail routes on which reduced services following the COVID-19 pandemic but have now recouped revenue and passenger numbers.

Lord Davies of Gower: As the pandemic has changed travel habits, train operators are using this opportunity to reassess their services to provide rail timetables that respond to new passenger travel patterns, and carefully balance cost, capacity and performance. Timetables should be demand-led and built with flexibility in mind, so if passenger numbers increase as we continue to recover from the pandemic, we can look to accommodate additional services. Where operators have modified their timetables, the changes are kept under review and, where appropriate, adjusted to reflect fluctuations in demand. Additional services will be included in the upcoming timetable change.

Shipping: Energy Supply

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps (1) to ensure that maritime infrastructure projects, including shoreside electrical power, can speedily connect to the National Grid, (2) to build infrastructure for shoreside electrical power at UK ports to help decarbonise shipping, and (3) to enable cruise ships to connect to shoreside electrical power when docked at UK ports to assist them in reducing emissions in port.

Lord Davies of Gower: On 22 November 2023, the Government published the Connections Action Plan (jointly with Ofgem) and the Transmissions Acceleration Plan. These reforms will speed up connections to the grid and the build of new transmission infrastructure in Great Britain. This may help unlock and speed up investment in new maritime infrastructure projects in Great Britain that are reliant on upgrades to the grid, including shore power projects. In addition, the government announced £29.5m of R&D funding will be allocated to shore power projects at the Port of Aberdeen, Atlantic and Peninsula’s Falmouth Port and Portsmouth International Port under the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure R&D competition. As well as helping to reduce shipping emissions at these locations, including from cruise ships that call at their shore power enabled berths, these demonstration projects will also provide valuable evidence to inform future industry investment, research, and policy and regulation development.

Air Routes: Northern Cyprus and Taiwan

Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of the Convention on International Civil Aviation with direct flights from London to Taipei, and in this respect why the UK does not permit flights to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Lord Davies of Gower: The UK recognises only one Cypriot state – the Republic of Cyprus – and only one government as the sole legitimate government. Under the Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus may designate Ercan (in the north of Cyprus) as an international customs airport and grant permission for flights to operate from within its territory. Which it has not done so. This means that no direct air services between the north of Cyprus and the UK can take place. With regards to direct flights being permitted between London and Taipei, the situation is different in that the Chinese authorities have designated a number of airports in Taiwan as international customs airports which therefore permit airlines to operate between the UK and Taiwan.

East Coast Main Line: Timetables

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the revised timetable for the East Coast Main Line will be delivered by December 2024.

Lord Davies of Gower: We are disappointed with the deferment of the East Coast Main Line timetable upgrade which cannot be delivered robustly in December 2024. The industry steering group that oversees timetable introduction concluded that there are too many outstanding issues to have confidence in the upgrade being ready in 2024. It is important that Network Rail continues to develop a process for delivering the upgraded timetable and realising the benefits of £4 billion investment in track and train.

Airports: Northern Cyprus

Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the international aviation security standards at the new Ercan International Airport in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and if not, whether they plan to do so.

Lord Davies of Gower: Under the 1944 Chicago Convention, only the Republic of Cyprus can designate Ercan as an international airport and allow flights to operate. As the Republic of Cyprus has not designated Ercan, the UK has not made a security assessment of the airport and has no plans to do so.

High Speed 2 Line: Compensation

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether HS2 Ltd and its agents base their offers to acquire property in connection with HS2 upon valuations fully in accordance with (1) the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' Red Book, and (2) the compensation code; and, if not, what criteriathey apply to property compensation valuations.

Lord Davies of Gower: HS2 Ltd makes offers to acquire properties under a variety of statutory and discretionary schemes. There is no single or universal process that applies to all acquisitions. HS2 Ltd and its agents apply the Red Book and Compensation Code where applicable, dependent on the circumstances and type of offer being made.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Video Games

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent breach of the Advertising Standards Authority codes by DCMS Technical Working Group members Electronic Arts, Jagex, and Hutch Games, what stepsthey are taking to (1) evaluate, and (2) ensure compliance with, industry-led principles and guidance on the use of paid loot boxes in computer games.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Following our response to the call for evidence on loot boxes in video games, HM Government has welcomed new industry-led guidance to improve protections for all players, including young people.Measures to protect players should ensure that the purchase of loot boxes is unavailable to all children and young people unless enabled by a parent or guardian, and that all players have access to, and can be aware of, spending controls and transparent information to support safe and responsible playing of games.We are working closely with the industry and academia to support independent scrutiny of these new measures. The Government has agreed a 12-month implementation period and has asked the industry, co-ordinated by Ukie, to report back to DCMS on the extent to which the new measures have been implemented.We will continue to keep our position on possible future legislative options under review, informed by academic scrutiny of the industry-led guidance. We will provide a further update following the 12-month implementation period.

Intellectual Property: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to update copyright and intellectual property regulations to better protect the rights of professional creatives and ensure fair compensation, given the challenges posed by artificial intelligence technologies.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government is engaging with people across the relevant sectors to develop an approach on artificial intelligence and copyright which allows this technology and the creative industries to grow in partnership. We want to work closely with right holders and AI developers to deliver this, and engage closely with our international counterparts.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Intellectual Property Office are working collaboratively to build on the progress made through the IPO’s working group process, which has now concluded. As set out in the AI White Paper Consultation Response of 6 February, HM Government will continue to engage with the creative industries, the media sector, and AI businesses to understand their views and develop an approach that supports these sectors to thrive.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Artificial Intelligence

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 10 April (HL3606), what measures, if any, they intend to implement to ensure accountability for defamatory content generated by large language models.

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 10 April (HL3606),which stakeholders they are engaging with regarding the regulation of large language models; and when they anticipate reaching conclusions and recommendations based on these consultations.

Lord Watson of Wyre Forest: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Camrose on 10 April (HL3606), what are the additional targeted binding measures proposed for highly capable general purpose AI models, including large language models.

Viscount Camrose: In the white paper consultation response, the Government set out the case for targeted binding measures for the most powerful AI systems to ensure adherence to the principles set out in the AI white paper including safety, transparency and accountability. The Government also set out key questions to consider as we develop our thinking, and we are engaging with stakeholders across academia, civil society, legal experts and regulators on this work. Government has committed to publishing an update by the end of the year.